Norfolk plans to begin demolishing the former Globe Iron site in the Bruces Park area late this fall, setting up the 25-acre property for new development.
On Tuesday, Deputy City Manager Ron Williams told Norfolk City Council that bids for the $3 million demolition are under review. In August, the city announced a $1 million grant from Sen. Mark Warner and Rep. Bobby Scott to help cover the cost.
The work will clear steel warehouses and a one-story office building from the city-owned site.
Globe Iron Construction Company operated an industrial metal shop, building steel frames and metal components for construction projects from the late 1950s until 2012. Environmental testing found heavy metals, petroleum products and other chemicals, according to a 2023 report. The report said that while contamination levels were relatively low overall, the contamination and the old buildings would likely make it more expensive to build at the site versus undeveloped land.
Williams said it’ll take around a year for demolition, but the city can begin marketing the site to developers this fall. He expects to ask council this winter to let the city go out and seek proposals for mixed-use or residential development.
The site was once the target of a proposed waste facility. In 2019, Select Recycling Waste Services abandoned its state permits for a recycling facility there, The Virginian-Pilot reported at the time.
City officials said the plan was really a waste transfer station that would need council approval. Opponents said truck traffic and the waste station would add to environmental injustice in the neighborhood
The city of Norfolk purchased the property in 2021.
